The C.S. Lews Festival Returns to Belfast!

Hey folks - the C.S. Lewis Festival is back in Belfast and on till December 10th!

Information on the Festival at Goto Belfast

Dear Listener, who can forget the good times we had last year at the festival as I brazenly tried to cash in on the marketing spend for Disney / Walden Media's 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe?

Narnia Fever Part 1
Narnia Fever Part 2
Narnia Fever Part 3
Narnia Fever Part 4
Narnia Fever Part 5
Narnia Fever Part 6
Narnia Fever Part 7
Narnia Fever Part 8
Narnia Fever Part 9

And of course we went on the C.S. Lewis' Belfast Bus Tour recording the adventure for an early podcast.

And we also gate crashed the 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe' premiere...but I can't  remember which podcasts these segments were on.  Pretty sure the chapters were uploaded in December:

Letter to America December 2006 Archives

If any listener knows which podcast these segments aired please let me know.

Anyhew, the range of fun activities is back - hopefully we'll be attending as many as possible.  For further info contact the Belfast Welcome Centre on 028 9024 6609, (if outside the U.K. don't forget to add 44 in front of the number and drop the first zero).

Narnia Fever - Catch It! Part 9

You know what Dear Listener - I saw the film - and actually cried!  (Now I feel bad for yelling at Tilda Swinton in Chapter 12).

Anyhew I present for your pleasure a photograph of the Doorknob to the Rector's home of the Church C.S. Lewis attended as a boy...an influence I'm sure...

Narnia Fever Part 1
Narnia Fever Part 2
Narnia Fever Part 3
Narnia Fever Part 4
Narnia Fever Part 5
Narnia Fever Part 6
Narnia Fever Part 7
Narnia Fever Part 8

Narnia Fever - Catch It! Part 8

Well we're almost at the end of Narnia Fever here folks!  Yes that's right, our cynical attempt to cash in on Disney's/Walden Media's massive marketing spend for the Chronicles of Narnia:  The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is drawing to a close.

Since I was down in Dublin recording Chapter 12 on Saturday I missed the Narnia Lantern Parade through East Belfast.  Luckily our top stringer for Letter to America, 'Alan from Belfast' was there and took these snaps with his high-powered Mobile Phone.  Enjoy!

Additonal reportage to cash in on the Chronicles of Narnia:

Narnia Fever Part 1
Narnia Fever Part 2
Narnia Fever Part 3
Narnia Fever Part 4
Narnia Fever Part 5
Narnia Fever Part 6
Narnia Fever Part 7

Letter to America - Chapter 12

Are you kidding me?  Oh no my friend it's the 'they never said it would happen' impossible to believe it exists Letter to America - Chapter 12!

In which we meet the Culturesluts, the show becomes two chapters in one, Jessie Ward does her hair, a DJ gets 'coptered' to Huddersfield, Katie says Chrissy is a gift, Steve McCormack gives you the lowdown on the Guinness at Mulligan's, we yell at Tilda Swinton, Tina enjoys herself while Daryl grits his teeth, we set up Rachel from Virgina with Gavin from Scotland, the Acctim clock surprises us all, the Odessa Club's coffee is tasted, C.S. Lewis' boyhood home is visited, Ross Gavin from Good Morning Ulster is mentioned, nothing good happens at Johnnie's, Jett Loe's Narnia Fever gets critical, and the Super Mario Brothers Movie gets quoted.

All this and and more on your very own Irish Podcast.  Or Northern Irish Podcast.  Whatever.

Narnia Fever - Catch It! Part 7

Goodness...it's so cold in here...so cold...maybe it's just the Narnia Fever shakes...

Narnia Fever Part 1
Narnia Fever Part 2
Narnia Fever Part 3
Narnia Fever Part 4
Narnia Fever Part 5
Narnia Fever Part 6

Continuing the grand tradition of Letter of America's Irish, Northern Irish, C.S. Lewis, Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe podcasting here's a pic I took on the C.S. Lewis bus tour on Sunday - looks kinda creepy doesn't it?  'The Searcher' opening the 'Wardrobe'  - looking for...?

Narnia Fever - Catch It! Part 6

Hey there folks - my Narnia Fever continues unabated. 

Coming out of London is the show Newsnight Review in which every Friday Night the various Great and the Good of the 'U.K. Culture World' come together to review that weeks' media.  This is a nice idea - hey they even have poets on!  But the thing is the show is only 30 minutes long and they review 4 or 5 different events so the amount of time spent on any item is so short the show is basically either a love fest or cheesy shouting match. 

Nothing is learned.

It's more the idea that there is something out there called culture that is communicated rather than any real 'valuable' thing being created. 

Anyhew, last week I saw that they were reviewing The Chronicles of Narnia:  The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.  So for those of you who missed the show, (hosted by Kirsty Wark with guests Paul Morley, Ian Rankin, Sarah Churchwell and Deborah Bull), I snapped a few pics with my digital camera.  They are presented below for your edification and delight, (I like the one with the Giant Beaver looking over their shoulder).

p.s.:  while looking up info on Kirsty Wark I found this site.  This guy deserves his own post, or something...

Narnia Fever - Catch It! Part 5

Hey there folks -

For those of you out there who have caught 'Narnia Fever' I present the following photo taken at C.S. Lewis' birthplace here in Belfast.

Where I lived in London was full of buildings sporting these Blue Plaques.  Almost all of them commemorated Good and Great figures that are now TOTALLY FORGOTTEN, (actually that guy seems kind of interesting).

Narnia Fever - Catch It! Part 4

Hey there folks -

My case of Narnia Fever is getting worse.  I find my attempt to cash in cynically on the massive Disney/Walden media spend for the Chronicles of Narnia:  The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe may backfire if I actually begin to enjoy the books.  Of course I've only read one page so far so we'll see.

Anyhew - as part of my commitment to make Letter to America your ONE-STOP-SHOP-FOR-ALL-THINGS-NARNIA I went on the C.S. Lewis bus tour this Sunday.  And to prove that I froze my ass off for 3 hours visiting 'Jack' Lewis' boyhood haunts I provide the following photo montage of the house that Jack grew up in:

I've got lots of tidbits about the tour - listen to Chapter 12 coming this weekend for all the Narnia news.

Oh, and apparently I was recognised taking the photos above.  What's the point of doing a blog if you can't be anonymous?  From now on I go out in disguise.

Narnia Fever - Catch It! Part 3

Hey there Dear Listener - even though we are preoccupied here at Letter to America with the details of George Best's funeral we still take time to deal with our other passion:  Narnia. 

Yes that's right - in a shameless attempt to cash in on Disney's massive media spend for the upcoming picture Narnia:  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Letter to America is immersing itself in Narnia, (cause after all Narnia author C.S. Lewis was born right here in Belfast).

Now of course I have no interest in the books per se - am just trying to cash in on the phenomenon.  To that end I must purchase the books.  I keep making mistakes here.  Check out what I mean:

Narnia Fever - Catch It! Part 1
Narnia Fever - Catch It! Part 2

But I keep trying - here I am in London trying to find the right book.

Yes, I'm still not sure which Narnia book to start off with.  Looking at this display it seems the books are targeted to kids.

They were very helpful here at Waterstones on Trafalgar Square, London.

OK - so now I think I've got the right book - will start reading it tonight Dear Listener and read you some choice bits this coming Saturday.

Narnia Fever - Catch It! Part 2

Hey there Dear Listener:  how are you?  Caught Narnia Fever yet?  Because Letter to America's shameless attempt to piggyback on the hype over the upcoming Disney / Walden Media release of Narnia:  the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe continues.

As Wayne Ordinary American points out in his comment to a previous post I have purchased the wrong book.  Apparently there's some controversy over the proper order of the books - as I know nothing of such things I go to the true authority in all things literary in Belfast:

David Torrans of No Alibis Books here in the heart of the fabled University Quarter of Belfast, County Northern Ireland. 

Dave is famous for dispensing tight, spare literary criticism and advice as well as super-strong cups of free coffee.  When I told him my dilemma re:  having to read all the Narnia books in order to cash in on the upcoming release of the film, he said to me "Jett, why READ them when you can LISTEN to them?"  So true to character he loaned me the BBC Radio 4's Complete Chronicles of Narnia (with Full-Cast Dramatisation).

Yep, if you ever need any advice on which books to get on Irish culture, crime and politics Dave is your man, (and I'm not sayin' that cause he gives me free stuff...plus check out that cool painting of Columbo in the background!)

Well, I'm off to put the first tape in the machine and have a listen.  Oh wait a minute.  I don't have a tapedeck...

...shit.